Transcript: Simplify your closet with Ania B and Simplii Financial

[Woman standing next to clothing rack, adjusting her belt]

>> Ania B: Okay, is it recording here?

>> Speaker 2: Rolling.

>> Ania B: Here we are. It's halfway through 2020, and it's hardly been the year any of us have envisioned. But we roll with the punches and push through together. It's definitely been a time for a lot of reflection, but more than that, an opportunity of time. I decided pretty early on to see the silver lining. I started talking to you guys more about money, very important, I think now more than ever, but also good to have strategies and knowledge in place for the future. I also learned how to crochet, finally. I took up a million new hobbies, but I got to spend time with Charlie, I discovered places in my own backyard that I wouldn't have otherwise, and I cleaned my closet.

[Before picture of a messy closet and then an after of a clean closet.]

Closet cleanup is no easy feat and if you are anything like me, you want to keep everything forever essentially because that fringe suede skirt that's hanging up in there will come in handy one day. We are partnering with Simplii Financial to give you some of my go to closet and shopping hacks to shop smarter basically. Survey says 55% of Canadians are decluttering their lives right now. 52% are finding appreciation in the things that they already have, which is about time, I think. And 25% of you want to manage your clothing expenses in a more efficient way and a whopping 81% of you want to continue to simplify your life now and post COVID. So let's do this.

[Simplii website on screen]

Simplii is a fully mobile banking experience available to you at any time and anywhere. They offer 24/7 access to online and telephone banking and they've been known for their no fee daily banking and their commitment to keeping banking simple and straightforward.

Five ways to be smarter with your wardrobe, do a seasonal cleanup. A lot of people keep their summer clothes in storage when it's winter and then vice versa. And honestly, I'm not a very big fan of this because what this means basically is that you have a whole closet full of clothes that don't serve you 50% of the time. And then longer if you're in Canada, because eight-month winters.

[Time lapse video of Ania cleaning her closet.]

Have all of your clothes accessible to you. Learn to wear your clothes all year round. Layer those summer tanks under cardigans and then utilize your summer dresses as fall transitional pieces. If you clean up your closet every six months or so, you know exactly what you have at all times, and then you can get rid of the things that just don't serve you. If you haven't even considered an outfit in this period of time, perhaps it doesn't need to be there at all.

This next one, a lot of people will be like, "What?" Don't throw anything away. Donating to a random bin can feel like an act of Goodwill, but chances are that your clothes will never actually see the light of day again. So, if you want to give your clothes a new life, a second life, be aware where you are leaving them. I will do a yearly closet sale because this is my job and I have a lot of stuff rotating through regularly. But when I started, I was actually having sales with friends. I bought a table for the weekend at a local market and sold my clothes there and it was actually a fun experience. I was able to connect with a lot of people, but also good to see my favorite pieces going to good homes and seeing them be loved and worn in different ways. And I know that a lot of you guys love my sales and come to them regularly and religiously. So, shout out to all of you, you know who you are. Thank you and my clothes thank you. Now more than ever, technology is also playing a really big part in our lives. 33% of Canadians said that they are just starting to use tech for shopping.

[Apps on screen]

Think of apps like Depop, Vestiaire Collective and Poshmark to resell your best and most expensive pieces. There is a big second-hand designer market out there. As well as you know, that specific brands really draw big crowds. Like for example, you can always count on the fact that an Aritizia dress shirt or jacket will sell immediately. Of course, depending on the quality, the number of times that you worn it, and the brand itself, you can actually recover some of the costs while you are connecting with your community in person or online. Win-win.

Okay, this next one is really important and I bet that a lot of people need to hear this and I'm sorry. Don't be a victim of a good sale. We have all fallen in this trap. It's cheap, so you buy it, but did you want to buy it before it went on sale? Or are you just loving the good deal? I shop throughout the season, so then when sale comes around, I'm not feeling as tempted.

[Online shopping website on screen]

Online it's really easy to place things on your Wishlist and then monitor when the piece or stock quantity changes. If you can get yourself organized in your shopping, I promise it will get easier to say no when that unnecessary purchase rolls around and really tempts you. This way you're only buying things that you want and what you will be coming back to time and time again.

Just because it's fast does not mean that it's not good. And I know we have grown to associate fast fashion with lower quality sometimes but knowing your brands and their offerings is actually really important and it really helps differentiate them from each other.

[close up of tags on clothing]

Fast fashion giants like Zara and H&M, both have created more sustainable collections that actually come out regularly throughout the year. Fun fact actually, I have a lot of vintage Zara pieces that are over 10 years old now, that have been and will continue to serve me countless times.

And now for the quintessential question, when I'm shopping, do I already have this? This is so obvious, but the more you have, honestly the harder it is to get a grasp on what is actually there. We live in a time that is not really defined by style anymore. We have recycled all of the decades and now it feels like a free for all. So, there's a lot of things that just come back season after season that are repeats of what you could actually already have in your closet. I cannot tell you how many times I come back home with something that I simply already own.

[Image of email showing gingam set, then Ania wearing two similar sets]

Even this morning, I was notified of this gingham set that I've been waiting for. Meanwhile, I have two hanging in my closet. No comment.

And don't worry, I'm not leaving you hanging just like that, thinking that you've been doing everything wrong because we all make mistakes, but let's learn from mine in a segment I like to call the things bought no one will or should ever need. For starts, we have this cow print, denim jacket and pants. I'm not even going to show you the full thing. I have worn it by the way. Next, this asymmetric Tutu. actually think it's shorter in the front but Oh it is. Here it is. I've never worn this because it's actually too big. But I thought to myself, I'm going to use this one day for something. I'm not really sure what it was.

Something that will go great with the tutu is this pair of heart shaped Balenciaga sunglasses. You know, I could have gotten these for $10, but I decided to get these instead. Only a few, I'm not really going all out here. This. It still has a tag on it. It's a top. I'm not really sure but I also thought it was a good idea at some point. I feel guilty for throwing it away, but I think I'm going to have to part with it eventually.

So, clothing sale 2021, coming right up. I'm going to need to roll my sleeves up for this one. The mother of all crazy purchases’ you guys. 2020 made me do it. Platform Crocs. What? Look at the size of these things. When am I ever going to wear these? Or where I should say. Definitely not out in public.

[Ania changes into a dress and a matching cloth mask.]

Oh yeah. And when it comes to investing in fashion pieces right now, invest in a cute mask and please wear it so that we can all go back to actually needing a resort wardrobe again very soon.